You'll Be The Wings, I'll Be The Bird
by MandaHR
Summary: An ill, bed ridden mother, a father who drowns his sorrows with a bottle and a too thin teenage girl with unexplained bruises. Could Bella Swan's life get anymore complicated? Enter, Edward Cullen.
1. One

Rating: M, for mature themes. Sex, violence, abuse, eating disorders.

All rights and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, yada yada yada.

Pairings: EXB, naturally.  
Told from both EPOV, and BPOV.

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Chapter One.

_10 months earlier..._

Bella Swan sat in that god forsaken place and nervously chewed on her nails, biting them down to the skin. Her parents had gone through those doors to the examine room an hour ago, and neither of them had come out yet. Bella knew something bad was happening, something bad always happened in hospitals, the long period of time was only the bad omen leading up to the bad news.

"Bella?" Charlie stepped out of the examine room closing the door quietly behind him. Bella stared up at her father, sensing the tenseness and sadness in his shaky voice.

"Is she okay?" Bella questioned immediately standing up. Charlie ushered for her to sit back down in her seat, but Bella remained standing.

"Bella-" Charlie began, hesitating.

"Dad, please. You have to tell me." She practically begged. Charlie nodded in his head, but looked down at the floor.

"Bella, your mom...your mom has cancer." A lump formed in Bella's throat, and she felt as if her heart was in a car race as the speed quickened. She shook her head, tears beginning to form in his brown eyes. Charlie pulled Bella in quickly as she became more hysterical. Her mother had cancer, an illness that claimed lives so easily.

"She starts Chemo in a week." Charlie informed her between the sobs. Bella looked up, fear plastered across her face.

"But won't that make her so uncomfortable, and sick?" Bella asked. Charlie nodded.

"Yes, but she's already sick and uncomfortable sweetie. At least this is trying to help her." Bella's eyes continued to water as she clutched on tighter to her father. Her mother, the woman who cared for her, her entire life was laying in a bed, completely helpless against this illness that was corrupting her body. It not only left her mother helpless, but Bella useless.

The exam room doors pushed open, and two woman with their hair tied back in buns and knee length white dresses rolled a small bed out, Renee resting on it, tucked in the covers. They turned the corner and started rolling the bed down a long hallway lined with doors.

"Can I see her?" Bella asked Charlie, still clutching onto his arm but her eyes remained fixated on her mother. Charlie placed one hand on her back and coaxed her forward to follow the woman.

"Yes, but only for a little while. She still needs rest." They walked down the hall and turned into the room that the woman had wheeled Renee away in. Bella entered, but stopped once she got the full image of her sick, fragile mother. Her skin was pale and veiny, her arms extremely thin.

"Bella." Her mother greeted, waving for her to come closer. Bella slowly stepped around to Renee's side, taking her hand as she did.

"Mom, you're going to be okay. You'll get better, and everything will go back to the way it was." Bella spoke hurriedly, as if she was trying to convince herself more than her mother. Renee smiled.

"Bella, sweetheart. You'll be fine. Your strength is ten times better than mine. I have no doubt in my mind that things will turn out how they should be. Now go home, get some sleep. I promise I'll be here tomorrow." Renee released Bella's hand, and Charlie slowly steered her away from Renee. Bella's heart sank as she walked out of the hospital, and the distance between her and her mother grew. Her mother always spoke the truth to her, so why should now be any different?

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_Present time...  
_(BPOV)

I didn't really know how long I had been standing there with the refrigerator door open, but I was sure it was well over an hour. I stared at all the various food while my stomach grumbled, yet I took nothing.

Instead, I walked over to the cupboard, grabbed a Cup O' Noodle, tore the lid off, filled it with hot water and put it in the microwave; all for my mother. I stood there, rooted in my spot and watched the small foam cup turn slowly in circles. I looked down at my light yellow v-neck shirt and began fiddling with it, trying to position it in a way that made it not seem like it was hanging off my body. I threw my hands up, surrendering to the nasty misfortunes of my weight and grabbed the cup of steamy noodles once the timer hit zero.

"Bella?" My mother called from the living room. I hastily yanked a fork out of the silverware drawer and walked into the next room over, where my mother was laying on the couch, one arm over her face. I set the cup down, and clicked the television off before throwing the covers back over my mother's body and picking up the small pan from beside the couch, in which my mother had vomited in. It seemed I was cleaning it ten times a day now, instead of three.

"Feeling any better mom?" I asked as I dumped the contents from the pan into the toilet and rinsed it out in the sink.

"No. I don't think I can eat today Bells, you can eat the noodles." My mother said. She turned over on her side, facing the back of the couch as I walked back in and set the pan back in its original spot. I gazed over her for a moment, then eyed the noodles. I clutched my stomach as the it began growling again.

"No thanks mom, I already ate some cereal. Besides, I have to get going or I'll be late. You will be fine by yourself today, right?" I questioned, remembering the day I was pulled out of school early because my mother had collapsed from dehydration. She swatted her hand my way.

"Yes, of course. Go to school sweetie." She said. I walked to the front door, throwing my black hoodie over my bony body, and throwing my backpack over my shoulder.

"I'll see you when I get home mom." I told her. She swatted her hand again. I smiled at her attempt to be playful, and left the house.

The drive to Forks made me nervous every morning. Not because of my mother, although her condition did not help any, but from what I knew was always waiting for me when I got to the parking lot. Every morning, Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley waited behind the math building with their small posse of long nailed and hussy clones. Lauren had taken a definite dislike towards me in 8th grade when her crush Ben Wilson, took a liking in me. No matter how many times I would reject him, and tell her how uninterested in him I was, she was never pleased. It seemed the only satisfaction she had now was ganging up on me with my ex best friend, Jessica. Normally in this situation I would fight back, but with my extreme weight loss and my bones being so frail they could easily snap in a second, I decided not to strain myself. It only lasted a few minutes before we had to rush to class anyways.

I pulled into the parking lot and searched for the farthest unoccupied spot I could find away from the math building. I, as always, was unfortunate and had to double back and park in the spot that was closest to the damn building. Lauren and the others stood in the usual spot, only this time a guy stood with them. Ben. I rolled my eyes when Lauren reached up and pecked his cheek. Even when she gets what she wants, she still has to take the past out on me. I groaned as I pushed the car door open and stepped out, immediately my name being called. I looked over at Lauren who was sneering and gesturing for me to go over with a lean, bony finger. I threw my backpack over one shoulder and began my course over. Ben smiled at me, which made the usual creepy shivers that I got close to him, run down my spine.

"It's about time Swan, decided to take a shower today?" Lauren said. I shook my head at her. The only weapon I had against her was to make her feel like a fool in front of her friends, so I disagreed and let every little snide remark slide.

"Yes, I did. And I see you finally decided to cover up the horrendous boob job of yours." I snapped back. The girls snickered, and Lauren shot them all the same glare she gave me. They immediately went silent. She turned back to me, a mean glint in her eye.

"You got a pretty big mouth who gets the shit beat out of her all the time." She replied. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, but you beat the shit out of me anyways, so does it matter?" I questioned. A hand gripped my arm, and my back connected with the brick wall. Lauren had both hands on each of shoulders, pinning me between her and the wall.

"I'm tired of seeing you around Swan. You know no one here likes you. Your father is a washed up, alcoholic cop and your mother is never around. What do you do, lock her up during daylight hours? Is she that hideous?" My fist clenched.

"Uh oh Lauren, she looks mad, you better watch out." Jessica joked. The girls laughed. Lauren smiled at me before her fist met the side of my face. A throbbing emerged from the corner of my eye. Lauren released me and I slid down to the ground. I covered my eye, and quickly threw my arms up in defense when I noticed some of the girls getting closer. Heels definitely hurt, and nail scratches burned.

"Lets get to class." Jessica said. One girl gave a last swift kick to my side, and they all walked away. I sat there against the wall for a minute of two, catching the breath I had lost before I made my way to class.

Mr. Oleander was standing at the door waiting for the last few students. I quickly walked in and took my usual spot in the back. It was easier to hide away sitting behind the others. I waited for the teacher to get to the front and occupy himself with writing equations on the board before taking out my mirror and checking the damage that had been done. A small bruise was forming at the corner of my left eye where Lauren had hit me, and one on my neck as well from a girl's heel. Other than that, there were a few scratches, but nothing I couldn't hide with makeup before my dad got home.

I closed my eyes and laid my head on the desk for the remainder of the period. It was hard to concentrate when my head was throbbing.

When the bell finally rang, I was the first to leave. I found it easier to just get from class to class and not dawdle. Once I was done with school, I could leave and take the rest of the day without being repelled like a bug.

"Bella, Bella!" Mr. Harrison shouted excitedly as I began to pass his class. I had him for 6th period biology, and he unlike the others, had taken a liking towards me as a student. I was bright, as he put it, and had an unnatural talent for science.

"I have a surprise for you. Off to class though, you'll have it once 6th period comes around." He said, nudging me to continue on to History. I smiled as I shook my head and walked away. He always had a surprise for me, whether it was a new unit that I liked, or just some way of earning even more credit for my A. What could it possibly be this time?

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Hmm, what could it be this time? A partner perhaps? Haha, let me know what you think!

And as you can tell, I've used new names for the teachers.


	2. Two

So, a surprise for Bella. What is it? ;)  
Only one review!? Awe...

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Chapter Two.

The thought of a surprise carried with me through out the rest of my classes before lunch. Of course I could take a guess, but then I'd probably disappoint myself if I was wrong. What could a teacher possibly give a student, besides an A, that would make them happy? What could they possibly give me?

It seemed today was different somehow. The other students were huddled in crowds during lunch period, most whispering, others talking excitedly. I looked around at the large groups, spotting the only two people who talked to me at our usual empty table. Angela and Eric were sitting in the back, Eric rolling his eyes at some giggling girls that stood in a close four feet to the table. I picked up my tray from the food counter and made my way over.

"Hey Bella." Angela greeted me, moving her bag from the chair next to her so I could sit. I set my tray down and plopped down in the plastic blue chair.

"What's going on? Everyone seems so...excited?" I asked, looking for the right word to explain the frenzy. Eric continued to look annoyed.

"New kids. The Cullens. Apparently they're really attractive." Angela explained. I shook my head and smiled, sticking my fork into a piece of lettuce and biting the end of it. I hated food, more like despised it, but I couldn't get past Angela or Eric without eating something.

"They probably aren't. They're getting hyped up over nothing. They'll just be more ignorant people, probably rude too. They have money." Eric informed me, angrily crushing his paper milk carton. Angela patted his hand softly.

"Bella, what happened to your face?" Eric asked, suddenly realizing the bruises and scratches. I quickly covered my face with my hand. Angela shook her head, her smile now a frown.

"Again?" She questioned, examining my face closely. I shrugged.

"Yeah. It's not like I can do anything, they gang up. It's not too bad though, not anymore." I said. Angela dropped her hand as the cafeteria doors opened. Five people walked in, three guys, two girls. Eric's mouth dropped, as well as every other male's in the room. Angela smacked his chest once she realized he was ogling at the girls. One girl was blond, tall and curvy in all the right places. She had to be a model, or she could be anyways. The other was short, beautiful and had a pixie like hair cut. She had dark hair, but her skin was flawless. It seemed all the girls in the room were green with jealousy. I would be too, if I ever got male attention.

The guys that stood behind the girls were just as beautiful. The biggest one had dark hair, and his arms were wrapped around the blond's waist. The scrawniest one, was blond and was holding the pixie's hand. The last guy, who in my opinion was far more attractive than all of the others, was standing alone. His hair was bronze almost, messy and he seemed frozen, nervous? No, more like peeved.

"Oh my lanta. They are attractive!" Eric told us. Angela glared at him. I just laughed, which I immediately regretted since the entire room was silent. I looked up suddenly, realizing how loud I had been. No one was looking at me, except one. The bronze haired Cullen had his eyes glued to me. His facial structure softened, but his emotions still spoke clearly. I looked down, my cheeks feeling warm. Why was he staring? I was thankful once the room became it's usual self again, and the others began talking.

"Do you realize that Edward Cullen was staring at you?" Eric asked. I sighed as I stabbed another piece of lettuce.

"For a second, but only because of my stupid laugh." I said. Angela laughed and shook her head.

"Why do you doubt your looks? You are very pretty." She complimented.

"Can we just drop this Ang?" I pleaded. I hated when we got on the subject of appearance, because if I looked around at the others I would feel like a small, gross, insect compared to all the superior girls. I did not have blond hair, or any beautiful color for eyes. I had dull brown eyes, and my dark brown hair only wanted to do one thing, and that was wave. I could straighten the thick strands for hours, and I would still have no luck.

I looked up through my eye lashes as Lauren walked in, exaggerated hip movements catching the attention of all the guys. She smirked at me before turning towards the table and making her way over to the new kids. I gritted my teeth, knowing she had her nasty eye on Edward. She must had sensed that I had some sort of interest in him, since she only went towards a guy if I expressed it. She bent over and rested her arms on the table in front of Edward, and her shirt was so low cut I was sure he was getting a perfect view of her large C cup boobs.

"She will do wonders for Playboy." Angela said, watching the scene as I was. I breathed deeply, I wasn't sure if it was in disappointment, or anger. I stood up hastily and grabbed my bag. Angela and Eric snapped out of their trances as well and looked up.

"What's wrong?" Eric questioned watching me dump my tray and slamming it above the trash can.

"I need to talk to Mr. Harrison. See you later." I quickly waved and stalked out, risking one more look towards Lauren as I left. My cheeks flushed once again, as Edward's eyes met mine before I pushed the doors open and left. I had no interest in landing myself a boyfriend, or getting whisked away in dating, but I couldn't help but give the little attention I had for guys to Edward.

I walked down the locker lined hall till I reached mine. I turned the lock from 18 to 24 to 16, then slammed the lock once with my History book before it opened. I slid my Biology book out from between the small row of books. I let out a large breath of air as I stood there, staring at the objects that occupied the small space in my locker. I looked up at the inside of the door and rolled my eyes when I had realized I had not taken anything down from Freshman year. There were two pictures of me and Jessica; one we were dressed in our Volleyball uniforms from Freshman year, our arms grasping each other tightly; the other we were posing before our first high school dance, I had one leg curled around Jessica's waist and she was gripping it, both of us had our tongues sticking out. Then there were three pictures of me and Jacob. Jacob had been my other best friend, but his father had moved him and his sisters after their mother died. He was a year younger than me, but we were inseparable. One of my favorite pictures that I had refused to take down, was of me and him in 8th grade, he had his arm around my shoulder and I was gripping him in a hug, exaggerating my smile to a goofy grin. I shook my head as my eyes teared up. I quickly tore the pictures down and crumpled them up before tossing them behind the books.

The bell rang and suddenly the cafeteria doors opened and a flood of students poured out. I shoved my notebook into my backpack and slammed my locker shut before heading towards my next class. Once I walked in to the classroom, Mr. Harrison gestured for me to come over to his desk.

"Okay Mr. Harrison, what's the big surprise?" I asked, faking a smile. Mr. Harrison stood up straight and grinned widely.

"I...have found you a partner!" He exclaimed. My faked smile became even more faked. A partner, for me? Who the hell would even agree to partnering with me? I was a disease to everyone at this school.

"Um. Mr. Harrison, I don't exactly work well with others. I prefer to fly solo." I said. Mr. Harrison smiled.

"Bella, dear. You are a great student, but I have a feeling you working with this person will make you even better. Awe! Here he is now." He? I turned around as Mr. Harrison's face lit up. If I could have died of embarrassment, I would have. Edward Cullen stood in front of me, his eyes glued to mine. Great, first he hears my obnoxious laugh at lunch, now he gets to experience first hand just how geeky I am.

"Edward, this is Bella. Bella, this is Edward. Your new partner." Mr. Harrison introduced us, my guess trying to ease the obvious tension. I nodded my head awkwardly as I looked back at Mr. Harrison. He was expecting us to shake hands, or show some form of greeting. I stood for a moment, glancing at Mr. Harrison, then at Edward before I made my way to my, now _our_, lab table. I sat in my usual seat, and it was only a few seconds before Edward pulled out the chair next to mine and sat as well. The closeness of our body was making the temperature of the room get hotter. I stared down at my notebook as I flipped through the pages for a blank one. I gazed over at his hand that was resting on the table as he also searched for a blank page. I shivered at the thought of my hand in his. Wow, I'm a creep.

"Are you okay?" A soft, clear voice asked. I glanced up at Edward who was looking down at me. I nodded in response. He didn't seem convinced but he looked back at his notebook anyways. I sighed softly. _He's your partner now, you'll have to talk to him somehow_. I searched for the right words to say, a good ice breaker, but my tongue had tied itself. I did not want to be the first one to talk.

6th period went by slow, and I despised every minute of it. I did not speak a word, even when it was time for lab, and Edward had noticed how distant I was so he remained silent as well. Part of me was hoping he would have said something, anything to get me out of the state of silence I had put myself in.

"Alright, class is about to end. We'll finish this lab tomorrow." Mr. Harrison announced. I looked up at the clock realizing there were three minutes left in class. I wanted to slap myself. Out of the full hour I had with Edward Cullen next to me, I had not spoke one word to him. Oh, what did he think of me now? The tension, even in three minutes, was intense and nerve wracking. I was ecstatic when the bell finally rang.

"See you tomorrow Bella." Edward said as he stopped by the corner of the desk as I stood up from my seat. I froze for a second and stared at him. He was waiting for a response.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." I quietly responded.

"So you can talk?" He smirked. I nodded my head. Then he smiled...did my knees just give out?

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Welllll? Sorry it took so long for there to be a second chapter. School is kicking my butt.  
Review, please! I'm hoping for at least five before I start the next. If not, that's cool too.


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